by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS -- The American League East remains undecided entering the final day of the regular season, but Raul Ibanez's heroics Tuesday brought the New York Yankees to the brink of the division title.

The Yankees, who had been winless in 58 games this season when trailing in the ninth inning, were saved when Ibanez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to tie the score and a run-scoring single in the 12th to win it 4-3 against the Boston Red Sox, preserving New York's one-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles.

Earlier Tuesday, the Orioles shut out the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0, with Chris Davis hitting a homer for the sixth consecutive game.

If the Yankees beat the Red Sox again today or the Orioles lose at Tampa Bay, the Yankees will win the AL East, forcing the Orioles to play the one-game wild-card playoff against the Oakland Athletics or Texas Rangers on Friday for a spot in the division series.

If the Orioles win and the Yankees lose today, they will meet in a one-game playoff for the AL East title Thursday in Baltimore.

"It's important that winning the division matters," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "The addition of the wild card (in 1995) was tremendous, but it evolved that the division championship became irrelevant. It's good the way it is. But I'm hoping not to be the wild card."

The AL West will be decided today when the Rangers and Athletics, who are both tied for first, play at 3:35 p.m. ET.

The race is over in the National League, with the St. Louis Cardinals getting the final wild-card spot, thanks to a Los Angeles Dodgers loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Yet even the NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds, battling the Washington Nationals for home-field advantage, have no idea who or where they'll be playing in the first round.

"It's really unsettling," said Reds manager Dusty Baker, whose team beat the Cardinals 3-1 on Tuesday, keeping St. Louis' wild-card magic number at one with the Dodgers playing late against the visiting San Francisco Giants. "We're a team without a destination."

The Detroit Tigers, winners of the AL Central, and the Giants, winners of the NL West, know they will open the playoffs at home Saturday. They just have no idea who they're playing.